Troop's Ride to Born Free -- Photos

Here's an assemblage of photos from my favorite Southbound Sidekicks. As you can see they're much more talented photographers than I!

First is Cris, who rides a killer chopped up Evo Sportster like a madman ninja.

Click any photo for a larger version, if you dare...

At the campsite in Big Sur, which we couldn't even see until the next morning. Who knew there was a river right there?!

And finally, at the show:

Billy's killer Triumph. Look at that paint!!!

Troop's Ride to Born Free -- Report

So finally made it back to Grass Valley, after an adventure I'll never forget. I highly recommend attending Born Free in any capacity possible. It truly was an overwhelming experience to be at the show and soak it all in. Honestly it was too much for a single day.

Departed my home at about 11am Thursday morning, rode out to Vacaville to meet Cris who decided to join me just hours before. What a soldier!

Cris and I jammed out to Santa Cruz to meet the Clutch Monkey Crew: Foo Man Lou, Jenna and Smokey Shane. We grabbed a slice at Santa Cruz's famous "Pizza My Heart", dodged being overcharged for beers, and were later joined by Too Late Timmy for the midnight ride to Big Sur.

Rolled into camp at about 10pm after jamming some serious twisties on Hwy 1 in the mist. What a ride! Didn't feel bad at all blasting into camp and rousting the nieghbors, we barely survived! We couldn't get Too Late Timmy out of his blanket, so we headed out for breakfast without him.

The roads were fantastic, a couple construction areas forced us into a single lane. The road was clear through the landslide area from a week ago, so we had no trouble hitting the twisties and having a ball on the coast road.

Then it went bad. Just after a gas stop in Cambria, at about 70mph on Hwy 1 the 66 6T failed me. Completely losing power, I coasted to the shoulder and feverishly tore into it to fix the electrical issue. After an hour of troubleshooting, we gave up and called in the reinforcements: Jenna and her Carolla! Who knew a little 4 banger jap car could haul a trailer with such vigor! Just don't ask it to stop.

The car got me and my machine all the way to our destination, and I decided that at the show I would recruit the help I would need to find the problem and fix it.

Stay tuned for an actual show report, coming soon!

Troop's Ride to Born Free

Finalizing all the preparations for departure Thursday. Test ran the load with freeway gearing out to Elk Grove and everything's copacetic at speed on the freeways. No leaks, no oil consumption, no shakes or shimmies. All important considerations on a 45 year old machine loaded for bear.

All that remains is to finalize the packing list and toolset and we're ready to rock out on the open road, departing Thursday at noon from Grass Valley.

Want to have a part in the success of the journey, and support Throwbacks representation at the largest vintage chopper show in the world? Contributions can be sent via paypal to throwbacksmc@gmail.com or email for the mailing address. Donations at $25 or more get a free Throwbacks t-shirt!

Throwbacks Thursday June Report

Had a killer turnout of 80+ bikes and riders from all over enjoy an evening of swapping stories and showing class.

Sarah Butcher Photography was present, in support of Throwbacks' friend Karl Lanquist and his most recent bout with heart failure. Still recovering at U.C. Davis Medical Center following his second pacemaker replacement surgery, Karl is a local character whose own skills with a camera and quick wit are well known. S.B. Photo was out selling some of Karl's handiwork in the form of photos of bikes from past Throwbacks events, as well as "Have a Heart" red ribbons, 100% of the proceeds taken as contributions towards Karl's mounting medical bills. Look for S.B. Photo's booth at upcoming events around the Grass Valley area, and show your support for one of Nevada County's purest characters in his time of need.

Here's a smattering of the crappy photos I took, the best way to experience a TT is to see it for yourself!

Read about it in the Union newspaper: